The Tenth
by Dakota Rain
Summary: What if a woman was part of the Fellowship? What if Aragorn was torn between this woman and Arwen? What if everyone else could see the choice right in front of the future king? What if some sadastic wierdo melded the book and the movie? What would this be
1. Default Chapter

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Well, this is my first LOTR fanfic. And my first post on Fanfic.net, though I write fics elsewhere. So, please read and review. This will have slashy undertones in later chapters, though it won't be the main focus. Summary is there's a tenth member of the fellowship, a woman. I have seen the movie and am in the middle of reading the books, so inconsistencies can be expected. Let's just call this an AU and be happy. There is lot's of OOC goodness in the first chapter. If you haven't been around someone who's drunk, try it sometime. It's usually a real laugh. So, without further ado here's the fic...  
  
The Tenth  
  
"A beautiful woman such as yourself shouldn't be alone in a place like this. I would be honored to accompany you to a more... secure place." The strong scent of ale floated along the air past the delicately sculpted nose of said beautiful woman. Her nose wrinkled, causing rifts of her pale skin to rise between eyes the color of opals. She pushed a lock of hair the color of spilt blood behind a subtly pointed ear. The woman smiled and gestured to the other chair at her table, which slid away from the table.  
  
"Perhaps you can do that later. For the moment, would you join me for a drink?" The man smiled brilliantly and eagerly took the seat. The woman slid him a glass of ale and continued puffing her weed pipe.  
  
"Does the beautiful lady have a name?"  
  
"Yes. Does the bold Ranger have one?" The blinked and took a long drink.  
  
"I asked you first."  
  
"True. But as you said, this is no place for a lady like me to be." A sly grin graced her fair face and the man found himself mesmerized.  
  
"You win, beautiful. I am Strider."  
  
"Very nice, Strider. Do you frequent this establishment?" The woman smiled again and offered him her pipe. He accepted and took a long drag before handing it back to her.  
  
"This is where I stay when I'm in town. Do you come here often?" The woman only shrugged, the action shuffling her hair.  
  
"Yes and no. What brings you to the Prancing Pony this evening?" Her voice was pleasant, neither too hard nor too soft as she refilled both their mugs.  
  
"I am waiting for someone." Silence captured them as they drank. A pitcher later, the woman finally spoke.  
  
"What kind of someone? A brother? A friend? A... wife?" Strider smiled, pulling out his own pipe and lighting it.  
  
"A business meeting." The woman didn't press that particular statement any further.  
  
"Ah. I see. Do you have a wife?" Strider smiled again, his eyes taking on a far away, dreamy look as he thought of Arwen.  
  
"No." The woman smiled knowingly.  
  
"From the look on your face, I'd say something different."  
  
"I am not married."  
  
"But you have someone in mind?" Strider's smile became almost lecherous. He took another long drink and moved his chair closer to the woman. His hand settled on her knee and slowly slid up to the top of her thigh.  
  
"Let's not talk of such things right now. Where are you from?" The woman raised an eyebrow and took a puff from her pipe. Her hand dropped under the table to rest on top of Strider's.  
  
"Most people loose a limb for such actions, Mister Strider." Strider gave her that lecherous grin again.  
  
"You seem very apt at dodging questions. I have a room upstairs. Perhaps you would like to see it." The woman nodded and leaned across the space between them to kiss Strider, none too gently. The hand on her thigh went limp, then roughly squeezed the flesh underneath it. He broke the kiss and stood.  
  
"Come." The woman stood and gathered her belongings: a dark cloak, tattered bag and a role of black cloth almost as tall as she was. Strider surveyed her clothing. It was all dark colored, mostly black. Her boots showed signs of long travel as did the long green jacket she wore over her shirt and pants. He noted that her hair was partially pulled back and rested a hand's width below her bust-line. She was of average height, being a scant hand shorter than himself. She seemed to have a lithe build, though it was difficult to determine underneath the bulk of her clothes. The woman reached for her coin pouch. This action pushed aside her jacket, revealing the metallic glitter of a mail-shirt surrounded by the shredded sleeve edges of missing sleeves. Strider grabbed her hand, stopping her rummaging.  
  
"I'll pay your bill. Let's go." He brushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear and let his fingers trail down her jaw to finger the edge of her jacket. The woman nodded slowly, eyeing the fingers. Strider took the bag from her hands and led her to his room. He was fumbling with the lock when several people passed by, causing the woman to press against him. In turn, he dropped the key which brought soft laughter from her.  
  
"And you're a Ranger? Do you have such problems with your sword?" Strider turned, leaving not even a millimeter of space between them.  
  
"I do not have such distractions when I am fighting." The woman pulled his mouth down to meet hers in a lusty kiss. As they dueled with their tongues, Strider's hands found purchase on her slim hips and forced their bodies together. The woman stroked her fingers through his beard, slowly pushing him back against the door. The force of impact broke the kiss and the woman trailed kisses down his jaw and neck as her hands worked the top of his shirt open. She moved south again to gently suck on his exposed collarbone. She pulled back far enough to blow on the wet mark forming, sending chills down Strider's spine. The woman smiled and bit down on the reddening spot. He gasped and let his head fall back against the door. His eyes rolled back in his head and his mouth hung open while she continued her bruising work as her hands busied themselves with the fastenings on his pants. She dropped down to her knees, hands still on his waistband. Strider looked down at the woman who was smiling devilishly.  
  
"I don't think this is the best place for that..." His voice was low and husky as he tried to control himself. The woman quirked an eyebrow and gracefully picked up the dropped key. She stood and opened the door. Strider blinked, then smiled as he whisked the woman into the dark room. Her belongings were quickly set aside as the duo embraced, almost frantically joining. Their mouths met again, the duel for dominance furious. Strider pushed her jacket off her shoulders, his hands following down her arms to remove the jacket. The cuffs snagged on the silver bracelets encircling her wrists. Both stopped and looked down at the bunched fabric. Laughed swept over them as the woman undid the bindings of her jacket and Strider stood in the dark, undoing the fastenings of his cloak. The each discarded their respective clothing items and fell into each other's arms. They kissed again, this time the woman letting Strider take control. He guided her through the black room, never breaking their contact until the woman tripped and fell back onto the bed. She let out a small 'ouf' as she landed with Strider on top of her. He smiled down at her while stroking the side of her face.  
  
"Perhaps I should light a candle?"  
  
"Allow me. Where is one?" Strider pointed and started to rise, but was detained by a hand tangled in his shirt. The woman held up her other hand toward the candle and gently blew. The wick sparked and a flame grew. Strider's eyes grew large as he blinked several times.  
  
"How... Are you...." The woman smiled and drew him down to kiss her again. All questions were soon forgotten as cloths were tossed away. A large 'thud' sounded through the room as four boots hit the floor, leaving the two lovers bare. Strider raised himself up on an elbow and took in the beauty before him. He gently ran a hand down her side.  
  
"You are heavenly." He whispered softly. The woman smiled, blushing slightly at the comment. They stared at each other, almost lovingly, for several minutes before returning to the task at hand. The joining seemed brief to both participants, though the world saw an hour or so pass. They quickly fell into a steady beat of long, deep strokes. Soft moans escaped from both people, their act reaching a blissful crescendo which left both of them tired, but happy. The woman fell into quiet sleep as Strider rose to snuff the candle. He turned and studied the sight in his bed. The moon had reappeared from wherever it had been hiding, casting gentle light over the woman's glowing alabaster skin. Her red hair was loose and curled around her, making her look like a succubus or some equally beautiful creature. Strider took a deep breath, realizing he still had no clue what her name was. He crawled into bed, enveloping the woman into his arms and fell prey to sleep.  
  
~~~  
  
The next morning sunlight caressed Strider's face, causing him to groan and rub his temples. The pounding in his head was horrible and he felt a bad day coming on. The warm spot next to him shifted and he looked over to see the woman still happily sleeping. Strider jumped out of the bed and quickly dressed, trying desperately to escape what he did. As he was exiting the room, a quiet voice followed him.  
  
  
  
"My name is Addrhian."  
  
  
  
Continued in Chapter 2


	2. Chapter 2

Finally, a second chapter. I'll warn everyone now that I've only read bits and pieces of the first book, so it's mostly movie based with some artistic licensing until the group reaches The Two Towers, which I have read. Also, my writing is quite a bit different from Tolkien's and I'm not very good at the way the people speak yet. Hopefully I'll improve as this goes. I have avoided putting anything too modern in the dialogue, but if anyone knows the Middle Earth curse words, please send them too me!! I'm also working on Addrhian's home and people, since they're my creation in Tolkien's world (I'm really bad about this. Don't get me started on all the other universes I've mucked about in). 

  
  


Now for the summary which was promised. I'll only do this for the chapters with sex in them because I realize that's not everybody's cup of tea. Also, if something has been toned down to fit into the R rating, I'll post a link to the site the unedited version can be located at, but I don't think this is going to be a huge concern. Those chapters will be clearly marked and summaries will be in the next chapter. Summary of Chapter 1: Strider has a bit too much ale, in other words he gets smashingly drunk, and picks up a mysterious and beautiful stranger. After a couple more pitchers, the pair adjourns to Strider's room at the Prancing Pony and have a nice romp. Strider wakes up in the morning and freaks out, realizing how he's betrayed Arwen and leaves after finding out the woman's name.

  
  


Okay. Here's the disclaimer (I own nothing other than Addrhian and her horsey, but I don't even own his name, which is my tribute to Piers Anthony)) and the warnings (eventual slash implications and more sex. Aragorn/non-Arwen pairing. Assholization of Aragorn. Movie & Book-verse. Nothing too horrible in this chapter. )

  
  


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The Tenth: Chapter 2

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Strider was in a bad mood. Er… Scratch that. He was in a HORRIBLE mood. His head was pounding. It felt as if a dwarf was standing next to him, repeatedly hitting his head with a battle axe. After he'd left his room that morning, he hadn't seen Addrhian. His head pounded especially hard at the thought of her, hard enough to feel in his chest. The bright candlelight hurt his eyes, hence why his hood obstructed them. He knew the hobbits would arrive tonight. He would've been informed if they'd arrived last night. The key of his new room across the way rested heavily in his pocket. He wasn't sure if his room was empty by now or not, but he felt the extra room would be useful tonight. 

  
  


He pulled out his weed pipe and lit it. Thankfully, it took the edge off his pounding headache. Several patrons had come in and left. One of the entrees, clothed completely in black, stood at the desk, speaking with Butterbur. New boots peaked out from under a cloak embroidered with symbols which seemed somewhat like Tengwar, but not entirely like any form he'd seen. Butterbur and the person spoke briefly, then the person sat quietly in a corner, soon to be forgotten by the patrons of The Prancing Pony. Strider surveyed the rest of the occupants, not finding Addrhian. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed by this. As the thumping in his chest returned, he turned his thoughts back to the concerning problem at hand: The One Ring.

  
  


He was somewhat shocked to hear of the ring's revived livelihood. It had been hundreds of years since Sauron's ring had been the in the public's eye. It still amazed him that the hobbit had kept it for 60 years without going mad. And now that the fate of the world rested on the shoulders of another hobbit, he had to have faith in this Frodo Baggins. If Bilbo could keep the Ring for so long, surely this hobbit could last a few days. After the Council of Elrond, Strider wasn't sure what would happen. His musing was ended as the door opened and not two, but four hobbits entered, looking bewildered and out of place. Strider felt sorry for them, but didn't move from his spot. He knew Gandalf was who they were expecting and the wizard was the only one they would trust. The Prancing Pony's patrons returned to their conversations, save Butterbur, Strider of course and the person in black. Strider noticed this and kept himself from becoming too worried or thinking of whom it could be. He watched carefully as the hobbits found a table and drank. Strider noted one of them kept turning and looking back at him, then quickly turning back to his companions. 

  
  


There was a small commotion as one of them returned to the table with a pint. Another hurried up to the bar and things became momentarily quiet. Two hobbits now glanced back at him, trying to be discrete about it. The air of calm was shattered by the cry of 'Baggins' at the bar. One of the hobbits jumped up and hurried toward his companion. Strider saw the hobbit slip and the One Ring fly from his grasp. Everything in the room slowed to a crawl as the ring feel on the hobbit's finger and he disappeared. Strider was on his feet instantly and dragging the hobbit upstairs. 

  
  


"You draw far too much attention to yourself, Mr. Underhill. That is no trinket you carry." Back down in the bar, pandemonium had erupted among the remaining three hobbits.

  
  


"Where did he go?"

  
  


"I don't know!"

  
  


"What were you thinking?!"

  
  


"I DON'T KNOW!!" A tall figure in black appeared next to the hobbits, placing a hand on two of their shoulders.

  
  


"I believe I know where your friend is. Come," The hobbits looked at each other and nodded. The figure led them upstairs to the hobbit room, "He will be in there. Please be careful my little friends." The figure started down the hall.

  
  


"Wait! Who are you?!" The figure paused, turning back toward the hobbits.

  
  


"I am a friend of Gandalf. Let us leave it at that for the moment." In a swirl of black cloth, the person was gone as quickly as they'd appeared, leaving the three hobbits to burst through the door. Strider paused his scolding of Frodo and had to refrain from laughing at the sight of the halflings armed with chairs and fists.

  
  


"You have a stout heart hobbit, but that will not save you. You can no longer wait for the wizard, Frodo. They are coming." With that, Strider imparted his plan for avoiding the Nazgûl. Thankfully, his planning skills weren't affected by his pounding headache and morning found the hobbits and The One Ring safe. As they left Bree, safely cloaked in daylight, a familiar cloaked figure appeared in a rented stall. It stood next to a horse as brown as the wet mud, save four black stockings, mane, tail and a wide black stripe down its face. The mysterious person prepared the horse and rode out of town, following the ring bearer and entourage.

  
  


****

  
  


"This was once the great watch tower of Ahmunsei.* We will rest here." Strider said, pausing to allow the hobbits to catch up. He led them to Weathertop and up the tower to an alcove. He pulled out a roll of burlap and opened it to reveal four daggers.

  
  


"These are for you. Keep them close," He stood and moved away, "I'm going to have a look around. Stay here." Strider disappeared into the darkness and back down Weathertop. He'd sensed something following them since Bree and his instincts told him it wasn't just the Wraiths. He circled the monument as quietly as he could, his hand on the hilt of his sword. He was close to ending his search and returning to the hobbits when he heard a twig snap behind him. He doubled back, placing himself behind his pursuer. He snuck closer and spotted the black cloaked figure from the night before inspecting the saddle rigging of a horse. Strider tried to be silent as he approached the person, but the horse snorted, alerting the person to his presence. The person whirled, drawing a sword from the saddle as they did.

  
  


Strider found himself with not only his sword at the person's neck, but their sword at his neck. He eyed the sharp eleven metalwork cautiously, gaging the danger of the position he found himself in. As quickly as they'd moved into the position, the two combatants stepped away from each other. They circled each other warily, swords in neutral positions. After a brief moment of contemplation, the pair launched toward each other. Strider was surprised to find the person a worthy opponent, matching him stroke for stroke. They moved easily across the terrain, though the person seemed to find surer footing, leaving Strider to go on the defensive several times. Suddenly, he swung forward furiously, catching his opponent in their left arm. The person almost dropped their sword while hissing in pain. The momentum of his own swing had nearly knocked Strider off his own feet and by the time he'd regained his footing, the person was stepping away cautiously, holding their sword with one hand. Strider instantly spotted the weakness and attacked heavily, pressing into the person furiously. Their sword flew from their hand and Strider pressed his sword to their throat.

  
  


"Who are you? And why are you following me?" The person swallowed nervously but remained silent and Strider pressed the sword harder against the throat, careful not to cut the skin, "TELL ME!" As he bellowed, the person let out something like a growl and yanked back the hood of their cloak, releasing dark red curls and an angry face.

  
  


"Will you calm yourself!" Strider blinked in shock.

  
  


"Addrhian? What are you doing here?"

  
  


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* I couldn't decipher this from the movie, so I did some phonetic spelling/guesswork. Anyone who knows what this is supposed to be, please put it in a review. Thanks!

What do you think? Didn't know Strider had spidey sense, did ya? ;) Reviewing is Nice!!


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